NEW BOOKS IN JULY FROM ANDERSEN PRESS
Balloon’s Big Adventure
Help Mouse find his lost friend Balloon!
One windy day at the fair, Mouse and Balloon play together all day long. But – oops! – Mouse lets go, and Balloon embarks on an exciting journey above the fairground, past the big city, over the sea and up, up, up into the clouds. Luckily, two smart birds are following Balloon’s adventure, and have a plan to reunite it with Mouse.
An epic journey for children to play along, with plenty to spot along the way.
Dogdunnit
A cat-and-dog whodunnit reminiscent of the great detective Sherlock Holmes!
Crimes are sweeping the neighbourhood: sofas torn to shreds, muddy pawprints on the beds, poo left on the kitchen floor . . . all the evidence points towards the culprits being DOGS, and Inspector Keyhole is quick to arrest every last one. But the great cat detective Purrlock Jones thinks she knows who the real villain is. It must be the feline mastermind and her arch enemy Moggiarty . . .
“Hilarious … it’s very, very funny” – Steven Lenton
Fergal is Fretting!
In the latest story in the Waterstones Prize shortlisted series, Fergal learns how to deal with his anxiety about his friend coming to stay with one very simple tip . . .
Fergal’s friend Elspeth is coming to stay, and he is very excited . . . but there’s a problem. He hasn’t been able to see her in such a long time, so what if it’s not the same? When he thinks about Elspeth’s visit, his face feels hot, he can’t keep still and he keeps needing the toilet. But there’s one very simple thing he can do to make his fretting go away.
Learn a tried-and-tested mindfulness technique to help children deal with anxiety of all kinds – including social anxiety – with Fergal!
“A welcome return for Fergal, a little dragon who experiences big worries!” – LoveReading4Kids
“A great starting point for discussions as well as a reference point to return to in times of worry… There are so many details to notice and enjoy and teachers and parents alike will enjoy sharing this book with the children in their care” – ReadingZone
Sid and Sam
A deeply moving story of Sid the dog losing his beloved owner Sam, and finding a new kind of happy.
Sid loves his best friend and owner, Sam. They share a happy life together, playing, snoozing, and meeting friends like Sophie and her mum in the park. Sid is sure that these good times will last forever, but he soon starts to notice that Sam isn’t quite himself. One morning, Sid wakes up to find that Sam isn’t there. Sid feels sad and lonely, but can Sophie help him be happy again?
A gentle and ultimately uplifting introduction to life after loss, told through the eyes of a loyal dog.
The Funniest and Grossest Joke Book Ever
Why did the baker have smelly hands?
Because he kneaded a poo!
Did you hear about the guy who farted in a lift?
It was wrong on so many levels!
Featuring these and many more hilarious howlers about all things disgusting, stinky and gooey to make you yell ‘EWWW’, ‘YUCK’ and laugh out loud!
Fisherbear
Slow down and unwind with this retelling of a fable that celebrates the simple pleasures in life.
Fisherbear loves his simple life, sharing his daily catch with his friends and family. But one day, a rich stranger arrives on his big boat and tells Fisherbear he should sell his fish for money instead, so he can buy a bigger boat, to catch more and more fish to sell… and eventually become a millionaire. But what then? Would that really change Fisherbear’s life for the better?
This forgotten classic cautionary tale has been remastered for a new generation by children’s author Ruth Quayle, and stunningly illustrated by Victoria Sandøy, the illustrator behind Julia Donaldson’s The Christmas Pine.
Just the Two of Us
When Stella makes a new friend and doesn’t need her imaginary friend, Arlo, anymore, can he find his own path?
One night, Arlo comes for Stella. Soon, he becomes her very best friend and they do everything together, just the two of them. But when Stella meets Sid, the boy who moves in next door, everything changes. Poor Arlo feels forgotten. Perhaps Stella doesn’t need him any more. Maybe it’s time Arlo finds a friend of his own who will be with him always.
“This gentle story, prettily illustrated is a lovely way to help kids who are solidifying their real friendships and letting go of their imaginary friends.” – Maria Speed
Party Animal
Introverted and socially anxious Tortoise discovers that parties with friends aren’t as overwhelming as he thinks . . . instead they can be quite enjoyable
Tortoise is NOT a party animal. He thinks parties are noisy and silly, and he’s far too shy. But his friends have invited him to a very special party, and everyone’s expecting him there. Perhaps he can make a quick appearance and go home early . . . but when he turns up, there’s nobody there. Perhaps the party isn’t happening after all!
School for Puppies
An adorable look at the world through the eyes of a beloved puppy from multi-award-winning picture book legend Satoshi Kitamura.
Nominated for a 2025 Carnegie Medal for Illustration!
Every day, Lucy goes to school and leaves her puppy at home. But today, determined to find out what school is, he sets off on an adventure to go to Puppy School! The young dogs learn important skills such as scratching behind their ears, learning to sleep wherever they go, and most importantly, how to leave a scent trail – which comes in handy when our puppy finds himself separated from his friends… Can he follow the trail that’ll lead him back home to Lucy?
The perfect story for dog-lovers, and fans of Oi Dog! (Kes Gray and Jim Field) and Dogger (Shirley Hughes).
“Perfectly told in a brief text and Satoshi Kitamura’s trade mark witty illustrations School for Puppies is a delight to share through reading aloud and to pour over and read again and again.” – LoveReading4Kids
The Uninvited
An astonishing magical adventure story from the award-winning Ross MacKenzie – exploring themes of immigration, colonisation and freedom.
‘This is a really special book. A rare combination of wildly imaginative and deeply thought-provoking. Simply magical.’ – A.F. Steadman
When the Faerie folk flee their world and come to ours, running from the nightmare of war, nobody in the everyday knows what to do. So they are locked away.
Thirteen-year-old Samm Wolfback lives in Glass Forest, a sprawling Faerae refugee camp in England. Life in Glass Forest is hard, poisoned by disease and crime and poverty. But Samm has a unique gift that lines his pockets – he can find lost things.
When Samm is thrust into the centre of a plot to escape Glass Forest and return home, he must use his gifts to unearth two treasures lost in the everyday: a relic that will end the war back in Faerae; and the only person with the power to reopen the door between worlds – the Locksmith. The task will take Samm to dark places filled with danger, from a grimly enchanted circus of nightmares to a museum housing a murderous exhibit, and he will have to use all of his skills to stay alive.
Meanwhile, in the human world, a kidnapped boy with a dark secret begins to realise that he might hold the key to the Faerae folks’ fate. Before all is said and done, destiny’s web will entangle him with Samm and send them spinning towards a showdown with the great evil that lurks in the world beyond the door.
Two Little Dicky Birds
Two little dicky birds, sitting on the wall, “Hello, Peter, hello . . . wait, where did Paul go?!”
Help Peter rescue Paul in this interactive story! Tickle dragon’s nose to save Paul from being gobbled up, cast a spell to get him out of the witch’s house, and find a way to help him escape a dark, scary cave – all while a hapless Paul is completely oblivious to the danger he’s in! Can you help Peter save Paul and get him back to their wall safely?
